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Michelle Babcock, PsyD, is a 2021 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Seattle.

Dissertation Committee

Christopher Heffner, PhD, PsyD, Committee Chair

Michael J. Toohey, PhD, Committee Member

Brad Tyson, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

adult ADHD, assessment, feigning, symptom validity

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2021

Abstract

Adult attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have significantly increased over the last 20 years, and in some cases, adults seek an ADHD diagnosis to procure stimulant medication and academic accommodations. With the ease of access to the internet, adults can acquire the knowledge to misrepresent symptoms for secondary gain. The falsification of symptoms or feigning is problematic for the individual seeking the diagnosis, the psychological profession, and society at large. This study aimed to develop a multipurpose self-report scale comprised of the DSM-5 ADHD criteria, executive functioning, and embedded symptom validity indexes to assess ADHD and detect feigned responses. Along with researcher expertise and four subject matter experts, a content validity ratio was calculated to determine whether the scale items measured the content area. Analyses resulted in a preliminary survey tool consisting of 28 ADHD items and 20 validity items that can aid adult ADHD diagnostic clarification while differentiating between genuine and feigned responses. Future studies are necessary to expand and further validate this new survey tool.

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Michelle Babcock, PsyD, 2021

ORCID Scholar ID# 0000-0002-8284-1131

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